Car-coupling.



W. MCCONWAY, JR.

I CAR COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED Nov.27. ISIS.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Feb. 1l, 1919.

W. MCCONWAY, JR.

CAR COUFLING. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 2z, 191e.

' ,294if,288 Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5l/@Hueso v ,f W .0% Y

M I/ @Q7/@1% @EMM he; annum):

konrrnn sfrn'rns rarnnfr crimen.

WILLIAM MGCON'WAY, JR., 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEMCGONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATIONOF PENNSYLVANIA.

cnnfcournme.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Feb. II, 1919.

Application filed November 27, 1918. Serial No. 264,315.

To all ywhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VVrLLrAM MCCONWAY, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny Vand State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates tocar couplers of the type in which the lock issupported in lockset position by a horizontally rotatable lever thatserves to force the knuckle to open position. The best type of carcoupler is the Master Car Builders standard D coupler, and my inventionis especially adapted to improve and perfect such a coupler so as torender its operation reliable.

In the standard D coupler the lock at times fails to return to normal orlocked po- Sition after the knuckle has been opened and closed followingthe operation of locksetting. This defective operation is due to theknuckle opening lever moving into the path of locking movement of thelock in such manner as to prevent the lock from dropping to lockedposition. This defect, which is an inherent consequence of the form andmanner of combining the elements, is apt to be magnified in service,since the blows deliveredv to the knuckle opening lever by the knucklein closing cause or tend to cause a compression of the metal of thecoupler head adjacent the knuckle opener, thereby permitting the arm ofthe knuckle opening lever that isnearer the lock to projectcorrespondingly farther into the path traversed by the lock in executinga locking movement.v

It is the object of my invention tov remedy this defect in a simple andefficient manner. To this end the invention, gen. erally stated,involves the combination of a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally mountedthereon, a horizontally rotatable knuckle opening lever pivotallymounted in the lower part of the coupler head and having one armextending behind the tail of the knuckle and the other arm arrangedadjacent to andv in the rear of the lock, a gravity actuated lock whichnormally restrains known axample of this opening of the knuckle andwhich is adapted to be supported in unlocked or lock set position on theadjacent arm of the knuckle opening lever, and a stop on the guard armside of the coupler head transversely overlapping the said lock andknuckle opening lever and serving as means for limiting the nxovenientof the shorter arm of said lever toward the lock.

In the drawings, tion as embodied in the ers standard D coupler,

Figure l is av horizontal sectional view of the mechanism7 the knuckleand knuckle opener being in plan.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken in the plane of the line 2-2, Fig.l, the lock being in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 3 3, Fig. l,the lock and knuckle opening lever being in elevation and the knucklebeing omitted.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully so that othersskilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the saine.

The coupler head 1 has mounted thereon a rotatable knuckle 2. theseparts being prefcrably connected by means of the usual knuckle pin 3.When in closed or coupled position the knuckle normally is restrainedfrom swinging outward by means of a lock 4- which extends in front ofthe tail of the knuckle. The lock 4 is provided with a downwardlyextending portion or leg 5 which preferably is provided at its lower endwith an elongated slot or eye 6 adapted to receive a finger or trunnion7 at the upper end of a lock lifter 8 forming a part of a well knowntype of underneath release rigging. In order to clear the stop 9 bywhich the knuckle opening lever l0 is prevented from interfering withthe locking operation of the lock 4:, the trunnion 7 of the lock lifter8 is inserted in the slot 6 of the lock from the knuckle side of thecoupler and the width of the lower end of the lug 5 of the lock isreduced adjacent the slot 6. For a similar reason the trunnion 7 at theupper end of the lifter 8 is made of suitable length to pass the stoplug 9 when the lower end of the lock 4 swings rearwardly in actuatingthe knuckle opening lever 10.

0n the knuckle side of the lock opening which show my inven- Master C arBuildin the lower part of the couplei head l is a lock to the lockprojection 11 which is adapted to be engaged by the upper end of thelifter 8 when the lock 4 accidentally attempts to assume an unlockedposition, the lock thus being prevented from 'jarring upward to aposition permitting the knuckle to swing open. When, however, the lifter8 is Yactuated to liftthe lock t the trunnion 7 of the lifter slidesupwardly and rearwardly iii the slot 9, thereby shifting the upper endof the lifter from its normal position beneath the projection 11 andallowing the litter to raise the lock.

lii locked position the lock l rests upon the upper surface or" theshorter arm 1:2 of a horizontally rotatable knuckle opening lever 10which is mounted in the lower part of the coupler head, the lock beingformed with a seat or shoulder 13 for that purpose. Gn the leg 5 or' thelock is a lower shoulder or seat 14 which is adapted to be seated uponthe shorter arin orp the knuckle-opening lever 10 when the lock, uponbeing raised to unlocked position by the lifter 8, swings rearwardlyunder the influence of gravity. 1l/Then the lock is thus supported inlockset position on the knuckle opening lever, the muckle Q may berotated outwardly to open position. The leg 5 of the lock is providedadjacent the guard-arm side of the coupler with a longitudinallyextending guideway or recess 15 for receiving the stop lug 9.

The forward face of the lock e is provided with a projection 16 which,when the lock raised above unlocked position, engages and rocks upon alug 17 formed on the interior of the forward upper portion of thecoupler head 1, the leg 5 of the lock thus being caused to execute apositive rearward movement which forces the shorter arm of the knuckleopening lever rearwardly and thereby causes the longer arm of the lever10 to press-against the rear face of the knuckle A tail and rotate theknuckle 2 to open position.

On the guard-arm side of the coupler head 1 is a short vertical rib 9which is adapted to overlap the lock #l and the shorter arm 12 of theknuckle opening lever. This rib or stop 9, which operates in thelongitudinally eXtending groove 15 in the leg 5 of thelock,flimits therotation of thel shorter arm ol"V the knuckle opening lever toward thelock t and prevents said arm from projecting into the pathfof movementtraversed by the lock when the latter is returning to locked positionfollowing a'closed rotation of the knuckle.

with a lock opening, a knuckle, a horizon-y tally rotatable levermounted in the lower4 part of said head for opening saidV knuckle, anupwardly movable and rearwardly swinging lock adapted to be supported inlockset position on one of the arms of said, lever,

a stop on the guard-ariii side of said coupler.

head for limiting the movement of said lever arm toward said lock, alock lifter for actuating said lock from beneath said coupler head, anda projection on the knuckle sidew of the lock opening of the couplerhead adapted to be engaged by said lifter to therehy prevent said lockfrom ing to unlocked position. n Y

A car coupler having a head, a knuckle, a horizontally rotatable leverfor opening accidentally mov*` said knuckle, lock for said knuckleadapti i ed to be supported in lockset position yon one or the arms ofsaid lever, and a stop on the guard-arm side of said coupler head forlimiting the movement of said lever arm toward said lock, the lowerportionof said lock being tending groove. adapted toreceive said stop.

A car coupler having a head, a knuckle, a horizontally -rotatable leverfor opening said knuckle, a lock for said knuckle adapted to besupported in lockset position on one oiC the arms of said lever,guard-arm side of the coupler head for limiting the movement. of saidlever arm toward said lock, said lock the lower end of said lock beingprovided with a slot and being laterally displaced with respect to saidstop, and saidlifter having at its upper enda trunnion insertiblein saidslot from the knuckle side of said coupler head.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM iueeoivwnrg n.'

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner vof` Patents, Washington, D. C.

provided with a downwardly eX- a stop on theA and a lockk lifter foryactuatingV from beneath said coupler head,

